The Anna Basmic Consortium
Created by /u/Alicky Geography The Lemnian Archipelago is a relatively flat island group in the middle of the ocean. Away from fault lines, these volcanic isles have existed for enough time to flatten out and for volcanic activity to decrease as the main hotspots drift towards the south. The archipelago enjoys ample rainfall brought by southern winds, although the northernmost islands experience a mild dry period in the summer. The largest island in the archipelago features a leyline nexus which distorts local terrain in a two-mile diameter centered around the nexus, but this is the most remarkable geographical feature. Long beaches, teeming forests and slumbering shield volcanoes looming in the distance. Biology The Aporytec (Short for "Aporymai Tecnai", "Crafted from Reason") are curious creatures indeed. Biology is but a small part of their make-up, because they have been crafted by an intelligent creature, perhaps a human, gifted with magic and ingenuity. Their most important biological organ is their brain, which the Aporytec are famed for. What remains are several small essential organs connected closely to the brain, including eyes, nerves, and an organ capable of producing sounds as well as receiving sounds. Unlike vocal chords, an Aporytec generally utters no more than 2 sounds, as they speak a binary language. They are capable of translating the language to other alphabets, but they are not capable of speaking most other languages. Racial Quirk Beyond their biological structure Aporytec are biomechanical. (Magic quirk:) Fused to a body made from wood, steel or other material, Aporytec were created and still create themselves. Without their mechanical body, consisting of hundreds of intricate gears, joints, limbs and pipes, they are nothing. An Aporytec without a sufficient body would die to exposure within a day. Constantly requiring maintenance, Aporytec strive for one thing above all, and that is improvement of their body. The magic in their creation allows adoption and adaption of technology to their mechanical bodies, and this is what drives their innovation. With a well-maintained body, Aporytec can live up to 250 years. Biologically, there are only two different types of Aporytec: those who can breathe underwater and those who cannot, but the mechanical bodies can vary endlessly in theory. Unique types make up less than a percentage of the population (see magic below), but several types are common at the moment: * Rugtec are humanoid with short legs and long, modular arms. They are often no taller than 120 centimeters. Serving as miners, construction workers and labourers, they provide the heavy lifting on land. * Pontec are amphibious and look a bit crab-like. With eight legs, three fins and modular swimfins for their feet live on the seafloor of coastal waters. They are equipped with tough-made shells to protect themselves from the pressure, and two arm-like manipulators. In terms of size, their length can be up to three meters with a height of about half that. * Hartec have four thin legs with hoove-like feet, but they have an upright posture. They have two rows of four manipulators made of cloth, chain and flesh, with ten-fingered hands at the end. They also have modular wheels. * More to follow later History The Aporytec were created by a creator whom they do not know. They are certain about their created nature, because they believe that logically, they can not be natural beings, because nothing in nature looks like they do or is born and made like they are. They have always lived in a society, but it was an Athenian democracy for quite a long time. It was only recently - a generation ago - that the Anna Basmic Consortium was founded. As they progressed in more and more uniform types, Aporytec joined companies of their respective types and began voting as one bloc. Eventually, democracy was done away with entirely in favour of the consortium. Society The Anna Basmic Consortium (ABC) is a corporate organisation with innovation, integration and improvement as its three i's, which are arbitrarily its motto. It is not democratic, but organised through a bureaucracy with a top-down structure. Aporytec are organised by the sector in which they work. The ABC is overseen by a council called the Sum of All Integers. The Sum has seven permanent Integers and four temporary and oversees all activies of the ABC. Generally, the Aporytec are laid-back and chill. They can absentmindedly do routine work, and in their creation they have been made with a content and rather rational mindset. Civil unrest is unheard of. Paradoxically, likely due to an intentional freak in their creation, Aporytec adore music, literature and philosophy. While their goals may be innovation and improvement, the only reason for these is to enhance the mind and body to allow for more space and time to pursue intellectual activities. There is little difference in the level of education between Aporytec, even in the mines or most basic workshops there is a constant chittering about the newest (imported) literature and ideas. Aporytec each have one or several best friends, with whom they spend most of their free time. The population of the ABC is somewhere in the thousands. Culture Aporytec wear no clothes and do not value appearance. They procreate rather mechanically and although they know and understand romance through their creation, they are incapable of romantic or sexual attraction. As such, customs such as marriage are missing completely. Their egalitarian society does not value material possessions, and as a consequence they are absent in the cultural exploits of the Aporytec. They do not adhere to any religion, but a few individual Aporytec have probably decided that a God exists somewhere out there. Their only communal Gods are their mysterious creator, and debate. Although an Aporytec may be fine technically and psychologically speaking, if they refuse to adhere to the rules of proper debate, they're branded as dysfunctional. Occurrence of Magic Magic users are rare beyond the magic in their creation, but magic users are treated equal to everyone else. The ABC uses magic users to create intricate tools or to do heavy lifting. There is often one magic user serving as an Integer on the Sum of All Integers. Major Imports/Exports Exports Machinery, steam engines, ships, other technology. Imports Literature, instruments, exotic minerals, gems, metals and other raw materials. Posts The Anna Basmic Consortium Anne‘s End, Stratford Inn, and the leadership of the ABC